Insect catcher



June 24, 1 24- 1,499,168

'S. W. FUNK INSECT CATCHEH Filed Match 28, 1923 INVENTOR:

Patented June 24, 1924.

E F i Q E INSECT CATGHER.

Application filed. March 28, 1823.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be 'it known that I, SAMUEL 1V. FUNK, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Charter Oak, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Insect Catcher, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices used for catching or killing insects and especially flies.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a fly-catching device in form of a gun. Another object is to provide a device that may be discharged or operated at any angle to a surface on which a fly may be found.

Another object is to provide a device that will discharge or operate very swiftly regardless of the handling of the operator.

Another object is to provide a device that is very flexible, thereby avoiding a damaging or marring of furniture or other delicate objects on which flies may be found.

Other objects will appear from the fol: lowing description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which- The figure is a perspective illustration of a simple form of the device, partly in section, showing the operating parts of this form.

The device consists mainly of a stationary or handle part or member, and a movable member. In the drawing, the stationary or handle member is provided with a handleportion 3 and a barrel or tubular portion 4.

The movable member of the device is preferably made of a wire 9, guided in the barrel 4. This movable member is supported and guided for longitudinal movements in relationto the stationary or handle member.

Making the movable member of wire imparts a suitable flexibility to the device, allowing a discharging of the movable member to delicate or well-finished surfaces of furniture or other articles. The front termination of the movable member, on hitting the surface of any article or object, glances off easily without marring or disfiguring such articles, by reason of the flexibility of the wire-form of the movable member. The front end of the wire is preferably terminated in form of a coil 10, to which the wire-screen 11 is secured. The coil 10 improves the flexibility of the movable memb s t th c een m y f y h t a 1* Serial No. 628,304.

face at almost any angle even if the wire 9 moves in a direction straight ahead.

A spring 12 is provided to assure a suitable swiftness in discharging the movable member, regardless of the handling of the operator.

Devices commonly in use for catching flies, such as so-called fly-swatters, depend very much on the swiftness of the operator, to assure acatching of flies. V

Vith the spring 12 inserted, the movable member can be discharged with great swiftness. The movable member is provided with a trigger-like projection 13, by which it may beset into innermost position in relation to the stationary member. The barrel is provided with a slot 14:, and an enlarged cutout 15. The spring 12 is inserted between the front end of the barrel 4 and the trigger-like portion 13 of the movable member.

Pulling the trigger-like portion 13 of the movable member back towards the handle portion 3 of the stationary member, the trigger may be engaged in the enlarged cut out 15. On pointing the device towards a fly, the trigger-like portion 13 can easily be disengaged from its locked position so that the movable member will be forced outwardly by the spring 12.

From the above it will easily be understood that the device may be slightly modilied in other ways, and that I do not limit brought out in the foregoing disclosures.

and in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an insect catcher, a movable member made of wire terminating at one end in the form of acoil and having near the other end a trigger member, a striking gauze being provided on the coil termination on the movable member, the trigger portion being formed integral on the movable member byhaving the wire bent at about right angles and then bent upon itself to form the trigger portion having the termination bent again to practically align with the main portion of the movable member;

2. In an insect catcher, a housing in form of a barrel having a pistol handle portion at one termination and having a slot extending from a point near the handle portion towards the opposite termination with an enlarged portion, to form a locking means larged portion to form an engaging shoulder Within the slot for a cooperating mov able member.

A. In an insect catcher, a housing in form of a gungbarrel having a handle portion, a movable member having a plunger por- ;tion slidingly disposed in the barrel terminating in a-h1tt1ng portion of COll form and having a trigger portion, the barrel portion of the housing having a longitudinal slot extending from a point near the handle portion of the housing towards the yturtherendiof the barrelto allow the trig ger portion 01" the movable member to ex tend outwardly from the barrel, a spring disposed in the barrel operatively engaged with the movable member so as to force the movable member in one direction in relation to the housing, the slot in the housing being provided With an enlarged portion to form an engaging shoulder for the trigger of the movable member for holding the movable member in retracted position in relation to the housing and adapted to be released so that the spring can force the retracted movable member in longitudinal direction for a striking action. 

